Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) has been (metaverse) has a vision of meta-universe - one day online lifestyle will replace most of us line Down life. But some people say that the future has actually arrived.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) has been studying the metaverse. In fact, he had this idea as early as when he was in middle school. At that time, Facebook had not changed the way people use the Internet to socialize. Now, decades later, he has sufficient resources and technology to realize his meta-universe vision.
In a previous interview with Verge, Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook has been exploring in the field of meta-universe, and the technology industry has been exploring this concept and thinking about how to integrate blockchain. He even said :
"Today, in people's eyes, Facebook may be a company mainly engaged in social media, but it will effectively transform into a meta-universe company in the future."
The meta-universe use cases in popular culture usually revolve around entertainment. For example, the movie "Ready Player One" adapted from a book tells the adventures of teenagers in a complex immersive gaming environment. Not only that, the early use cases are also focused on entertainment, such as the digital game "Second Life", which allows players to build a virtual version of themselves and interact with others in a fictitious online world.
It is worth noting that the concept Mark Zuckerberg is now talking about has surpassed simple entertainment needs. One of the words he repeatedly talked about in interviews is "space." As people spend more and more time in the digital field, they are still subject to various restrictions when interacting online through this two-dimensional window called the "screen", stating that:
"We basically mediate our lives and communication through these small illuminated rectangular windows, but I don't think this is the real way people interact."
Mark Zuckerberg and many others believe that the metaverse is the next solution to reduce friction between people, communities, and technology. In a remote conversation with employees, Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook’s departments that focus on communities, creators, commerce, and virtual reality products will gradually participate in the realization of this vision, and the most interesting part will be How to integrate these different themes into a larger idea, the overall goal of all these initiatives is to make the meta-universe a reality. Undoubtedly, in the eyes of Mark Zuckerberg, Metaverse will bring huge opportunities, including for creators and artists; for people who want to work and own houses far away from the city center; and for living in education And people in places where entertainment opportunities are scarce-a meta-universe that becomes a reality is the second best choice after the "instant transfer" device.
When the meta universe meets the blockchain
In fact, the meta universe does not have a strict definition. The term encompasses a wide range of concepts used to describe the virtual interactive world. Corey Cottrell, the founder of Uplift, explained:
"You can think of the metaverse as a manifestation of the Internet, where you can not only view the content, but also be in it."
Uplift is a meta-universe based on the popular game Minecraft (Minecraft), and uses blockchain technology to achieve certain functions. Its operation is very similar to the game it is based on (Minecraft is considered to be a meta-universe itself), Players dig for resources in order to build buildings and landmarks, but they are just to enjoy the fun of building and interacting with the community. Similar to other plugins for Minecraft (such as EnjinCraft), Uplift enables players to own their own land through unique tokens, and then receive rewards through the game’s native token, Upliftium. They earn such tokens through other people visiting the land they own or spending time on other people's land. Corey Cottrell added:
"The explosion of creativity is spiritual", referring to projects that the community has established. There is the sky rising there...there is a castle, and it looks like people are going to make crazy creations. "
In fact, this is exactly what Mark Zuckerberg said: We are actually already building a meta-universe, not just talking about it.
By combining blockchain and NFT, Uplift has actually not only done this, but also expanded the concept of meta-universe by combining the function of playing and earning. Although it has only been open for more than four months, the project has sold $2.5 million for in-game NFTs.
The success of The Uplift also reflects the increasing popularity of other blockchain-based money-making games, including Axie Infinity, whose governance token prices have recently increased by 800%. This means that many players in countries such as the Philippines, who are very keen on gaming, can quit their jobs and support themselves by playing video games full-time.
Similar to Brave Attention Token (users of the web browser Brave can earn money by watching ads in the system), these new money-making game models are redefining the user's role in the system. And driven by blockchain technology, they realized that users can bring value to the system through participation and attention.
However, this is contrary to the traditional financing methods of traditional social media, which are driven by selling advertising space to end users. Corey Cottrell stated:
"I have always felt very strong, because when Zuckerberg faced this matter, he didn't think so. This may also be a major difference. He will not pay you to post on Facebook because For them, it’s not a sustainable thing. I mean, even if it can, he still won’t do it.”
The meta universe already exists
According to people's definition of the meta-universe, some people would think that humans already live in it. Yat Siu, founder and board member of Animoca Brands, is the main investor in the development team behind Axie Infinity. He said that in some respects, the virtual world has begun to have a greater impact on human decision-making than the physical world. Yat Siu said:
"In many cases, we are more concerned about how we are viewed or described virtually, rather than how we are actually described physically. If this is the case, then in fact the meta-universe already exists. It's just that This is not what we expected."
Not long ago, the concept of online dating was still controversial, but now it is very common for people to build lasting relationships online. Similarly, many people’s professional and personal social media images have been carefully planned. This is especially true of the younger generation, who are often the first to adapt to new technologies.
Animoca Brands has invested in a set of blockchain-based meta-universe games, including Axie Infinity. Unsurprisingly, as an investor in money-making games, Yat Siu doubts the traditional centralized financing model represented by companies such as Facebook and its business model. He explained:
"Facebook actually knows very well that they are already a kind of meta-universe, and from my point of view, they are the meta-universe kingdom. In a sense, they are kings, and their users are digital serfs. They are not in reality. In a sense, they have whatever they do on Facebook. For now, they can get away with it, but I don’t think it will work in the long term."
Metaverse will not be the first blockchain application of Facebook, the world's largest social media platform. Its ill-fated cryptocurrency Diem (previously known as Libra) was designed as a payment system used by Facebook users on the platform, but it has repeatedly encountered resistance from the government and development delays.
However, developers have said that this at least shows that Facebook is a large company that is very popular with the public. When it tries to enter a new field, it is usually subject to scrutiny by the public and regulatory agencies.
Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the public meta-universe needs to run in parallel with the for-profit meta-universe in order to provide a digital version of town-square (a concept that social media companies often use as a metaphor for themselves), just like Mark Za Kerberg himself said:
"Meta Universe is important for having healthy communities and fields, including things built or managed by the government and non-profit organizations. I think they are technically private, but they serve the public interest without a profit goal. And operations."
Corey Cottrell realized that if people spend too much time in the metaverse, they might have a potentially negative impact on their mental health. Corey Cottrell said that their team is considering setting a specific Time to close Uplift, which will force players to rest in the game and ensure that people do not spend all their time on the game. Metaverse and mobile phone applications are as addictive as ordinary video games, and have a higher sense of immersion and more functions, but at the same time risks coexist.
Although the small team behind Uplift is capable of doing this, Cottrell also expressed his concern, because large companies usually do not act in the best interests of users. Corey Cottrell believes:
"As large companies with greater investor pressure enter the field, they will design more addictive things like mobile phones. For us super-smart animals, immersing themselves in video games is really a big deal. A super addictive experience."
Despite these concerns, Corey Cottrell is still very excited about the future of Uplift and other meta-universes. He finally said:
"When we chat again next time, I hope we can do it in Uplift. When you are there, you will feel completely different."